As more and more interest in digital marketing draws from traditional forms of advertising, businesses marketing their products are wondering if these older forms of advertising still work. In particular, are billboards worth the money? A look at some facts about the effectiveness of billboard advertising unveils some surprising results that are making many marketing experts think twice before abandoning billboard marketing.
What do billboards tell consumers?
One concern about the effectiveness of billboard marketing is in trying to comprehend exactly what people are taking away from billboard advertisements. Speed limits are faster than they once were and people are more rushed, so is anyone even reading billboards and actually remembering what they say? In 2009, the Arbitron National In-Car Study sought to answer questions about billboard marketing and this was one of the topics that concerned the researchers.
Increased business
The study found that people are accessing the information on billboards, whether they consciously realize it or not. Of those who participated in the survey, 58% reported first learning about an event that interested them via a billboard advertisement. Similarly, 58% of participants also reported seeing billboard ads for restaurants that they later visited. These statistics indicate that businesses are helped by a billboard marketing campaign.
Triggering memories
The study also looked at how billboards affected people in other ways. For instance, 56% of people reported that they later discussed something amusing they saw on a billboard. Meanwhile, 33% of subjects said a billboard reminded them to tune into a television show and 44% said they were reminded to tune into a radio program.
In retaining information, people do make notes of important details. Of those surveyed, 26% said that they had stopped to write down a phone number they saw on a billboard. Meanwhile, 28% made a note of a website address they saw on a billboard.
Shopping decisions
Additionally, it was found that billboards may influence people to shop or frequent a business on their way home from work. At least, that’s what 72% of those in the study reported, while 68% remarked that their shopping decisions were made while riding in the car. The fact that people make decisions while driving indicates that billboards do still play an important role in marketing and advertising. While digital marketing may be important, more traditional forms of product promotion still work. As this recent study indicates, billboard marketing is still an important factor in building a company’s brand.
